Magnetic car retarder



Feb. 12, 1935. o. A. ROSS MAGNETIC CAR RETARDER Filed Jan. '7, 1.928 2 Sheets$heet l V ID IVENTOR M0 A'r RNEY Feb. 12, 1935. O A oss 1,990,799-

MAGNET 10 CAR RETARDER I3 INVENTO 0W4 7% Patented Feb. 12, 1935 I 1,999,799

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAGNETIC CAR RETARDER Oscar A. Boss, New York, N. Y., assignor to Genlvizral Railway Signal Company, Rochester,

Application January 7, 1928, Serial No. 245,144

' 8 Claims. (01. 188-62) This invention relates to car retarders and more tion:taken on the line III-"III of Fig. 2, as viewed particularly to a class thereof which it is chosen in the direction of the arrows; to term magnetic car retarders. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of modified sector unit the making up freight trains in freight yards and friction plate, as viewed from the line IV-I V of large railway systems, it is customary to emof Fig.5; and ploy what is known as a hump over which the Fig. is a back view of the same unit, as viewed cars are switched: said hump producing the re-' from the line V-V of Fig. 4. quired acceleration for moving said cars to the Referring to Figs. 1,2 and 3", the magnetism particular train of cars to which they are to be generating unit 1, hereinafter termed magnetic coupled. It has also been the custom to have an braking unit, comprises housing 2', the upper shell attendant, or brakeman ride said cars for the 3 of which is suitably bolted to the lower shell purpose of applying brakes thereon to reduce 4, said upper shell having supporting lugs 5-5 their speed to prevent possible damage as said secured to tie- 6' by bolts or lags 7-7, said lower cars are coupled to said trains. shell having lugs 8-8, likewise secured to tie 9 Another object is to retard the movement of by similar bolts or lags 7-7. freight cars'or similar vehicles, by magnetically Clamped between said upper and lower shells causing frictional engagement of the aforesaid are'non-ferric bushings 10-10 rigidly secured to track 'instrumentalities with the wheels of said a non-ferric tube 11 acting as a bearing for magcars, the magnetic circuit for causing said fricnetic core 12, to the polar ends of which are tio'nal engagement including said track instruclamped, by bolts 13-13, two sector units 14-14, mentalities'and the wheels and axles of said cars. the sectors 15-15 which support friction brake Other objects and advantages will appear as plates or'brake shoes 16-16 having studs 17-17 the description of the invention progresses, and operating in bearings 18-18 formed in said secthenovel' features'of the invention will be pointtors, said plates being normally biased away'from u ed'o'utji'n the appended claims. said sectors and against stop pins 19-19 by This invention comprises in'the novel construcsprin 20' and arrangement of parts hereinafter de- Said sectors" 15-15 are rigidly, connected to scribed, delineated in the accompanying drawgether by non-ferric rods 21 and 22' interposed ings, and particularly pointed out in that p01- therebetwee'n, the ends of rod 21 being rigidlyse 80 tion of the instrument wherein patentable no'Velcured in bosses 23-23 of said sectors and rod' 22 tyiis claimed for certain and peculiar features of likewise rigidly secured in lugs 241-24 extending the'inven'tion, it being understood that, within downwardly from said sectors. The mid-section the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimed, of rod'22' is adapted toimpinge on stop lug 25 divers changes in the form, proportions, size and secured to tie 26 bybolts, or'l'ag's 27-27.

minor details of the device and system of con- Suitably secured to tube 11 is magnet coil 28 Mel therefore may be made Without departing having terminals 29-29 adapted to receive energy from the Sp ifi in any' of the details as more fully described in the co-pending appliof the invention. v cation for Letters Patent Ser. No. 245,141 filed In describing theinvention in detail, reference January 7', 1928. V 40 is had to the accompanying drawings wherein I Track rails 30-30 suitably secured to ties, as have illustrated embodiments of my invention, 6 and 26 are adapted to" act as carriers for car and wherein like characters of reference desigaxles 31 comprising wheels 32-32 and axle 33, nat'e' corresponding parts throughout the several and the inner faces 34-34 of said wheels are views, and in which: adapted tofri'ctionally engage with friction faces 45 Fig; 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of 3535'0f the-friction plates, or brake shoes 16-16 the invention Showing t n parts in s as said wheels pass over said rails adjacent to said sectiontak'en on line 1-1 of Fig. 3, as viewed in brake shoes. the direction of the arrows. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the modified sector '50 Fig 2 is apla'n iew of the apparatus shown in Ill-lit 36 CO mpE-l'SeS S Cl3OI37,' to which iS hinged,

"Fig; 1 illustrating p'artsthereofin cross section pin 8', the frietienp brake Shoe 3 'on the line I-I-II of Fig. 3 as-viewed' in the direchaving friction face 35; adapted to similarly ention: of the arrows; 1 gage friction faoe'34 of wheel32. Saidsector unit Fig; 3-

an elevation: taken crosswise of the 36 maybe substituted for sector unit'14 if detrack and illustratinglparts thereof in'cross-s'ecsired. g

The operation is as follows: referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, coil 28 is supplied with electrical energy as more fully described in the aforesaid copending application for Letters Patent, and as said coil is ehergizedand assuming that a car axle as 31 is present on rail 30, a magnetic flux path will be established as shown by the arrow shown in Fig. 3, and which comprises the following structure, magnet core 12, right hand sector 15, bearings 18'18, to studs 17-17 and to friction face of brake shoe 16 causing said shoe to impinge on friction face 34 of right hand Wheel 32, thence' through said wheel, axle 33 and lefthand wheel 32 to the friction face 34 thereof and thence to friction face 35 of left hand brake shoe l6,-like-- wise causing said shoe to impinge on said wheel friction face, thence through said brake shoe,

studs 171'7, bearings 18'18.and left'handsec'tor'. ferric mag-..

15 returning to core 28 as a complete netic circuit.

It will be noted from the foregoing description that a complete ferric magnetic circuit without produced than if these sector 'units 1414 were I not permitted to assume the raised position.

As said car axle 31 moves in direction of arrow X and prior to its'wheelscontacting with sector units 14-14, the brake shoes 1616 normally impinge on stops 1919. As saidwheels contact with said shoes, said shoes are forced inwardly away from said stops as the friction faces "35 thereof frictionally engage with friction faces 34 of wheels 3232, and, after said wheels have moved in the'direction of arrow X to a point beyond the sector units 1414, said units fall by gravity to the stop 40 as shown by the full line position, and, as another car axle, as 31'approaches magnetic braking unit 1, said sector units 14-'-14 are again frictionallyengaged with the wheels of said'axle and causes further retardation of said axle and the car or vehicle which it normally supports. 1

,In this connection, it should be remembered that the brake rigging on freight cars extends so low on car trucks that trackway brakes ordinarily are not permitted to extend above the lever of track rails more than a few inches. The prescut invention, however, contemplates the use of "pivotally mounted braking armsor' sector units 14-14, which are pivoted in vertical planes and are permitted to rise as the wheel has'advanced toa point where the engaging surface of the wheel is moved upwardly, that is, when the brake shoe engages the rear part of the wheel. It is of course understood that this facility of allowing the brake shoe to rise increases the lever arm through which the braking acts and thereby increases the actual braking. In other words,when the car wheel first enters the brake shoe embodying, the present inventionthe car wheels are braked at a comparatively low rate by reason of 'theshort leverage through which the brake shoes may act, but as the car wheel is just about .to pass out of the braking surface the brake shoes are raised thus increasing the leverage and the braking effect.

It is obvious that a number of magnetic braking units, as 1 may be placed adjacenteach other in this manner, either successively, or jointly engaging all the car wheels of a car .or number of cars which may be switched into a car retarding zone as more fully described in the aforesaid co-.

pending application for Letters Patent.

What I claim is:- o 1 A car'retarder of the electro-magnetic type comprising, a track rail, a car wheelof magnetic material movable over said track rail, a member pivotally supported'for movement in a vertical plane parallel to said track rail and so located wheel, and a coil for producing magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit including said member and said car wheel in series.

'2. A car retarder of the electro-magnetic type comprising, a track rail, a car wheel of magnetic material movable over said track rail, amember pivotally supported for movement in a vertical plane parallel to said track rail and so located that its free end canengage a side'of said car 'wheel, a coil for producing magnetic flux in a' magnetic circuit, including said member and said car wheel in series, said member projecting in the same direction from the pivotal support as the direction of car travel over said track, whereby the free end of said brake shoe when magnetically pressed againstthe side of said car wheel is lifted as the car wheel is rotated and thereby increases the effective lever arm for retarding said car wheel.

'thatits free end can engage a side of said car 7 3. A car retarder of the electro-magnetic type comprising, a track rail of magnetic material, a

rotated and therebyfto increase the efiective lever arm for retarding said car wheel.

4. A car retarder of the electro-magnetic'type comprising, a pair of track rails, a car axle and associated car wheels of magnetic material movable over said track, a shaft of magnetic material extending cross-wise of the track and pivotally supported, a coil on said shaft, a member of magnetic material at each end of said shaft, brake shoes of magnetic material movably connected to the free ends of said members, and means for energizing said coil.

5. A car retarder of the electro-magnetic type comprising, a pair of track rails, a car axle and associated car wheels of magnetic material mov-.

able over said track, a casing disposed between the track rails, a shaft of magnetic, material in said casing extending cross-wise of the track and pivotally supported in said casing, a coil on said shaft within said casing, amember of magnetic material on each end of said shaft, brake shoes of magnetic material movably connected to the free ends of said members, and means for energizing said coil, whereby said brake shoes frictionally engage the sides of moving car wheels when said coil' is energized and whereby the point of'engagement of said brake shoes with said car wheel is raised above the top of the track rails as the car wheel moves by said brake shoe.

6. A car retarder of the electro-magnetic type comprising, a pair of track rails, a car axle and associated car wheels of magnetic material movable over said track, a casing disposed between between the track rails, a shaft of magnetic material in said casing extending cross-wise of the track and pivotally supported in said casing, a coil on said shaft within said casing, a member of magnetic material at each end of said shaft, brake shoes of magnetic material movably connected to the free ends of said members, means for energizing said coil to produce magnetic flux in said brake shoes, wheels, and axle, and spring means for urging said brake shoes against the sides of passing Wheels.

7. In a car retarder, for use with a track rail, a braking arm supported adjacent the track rail in a manner to be engageable by a car'wheel and to rotate in a vertical plane and about an axis cross-wise of the track rail, and. means for changing the point of engagement of said brake arm and car wheel, whereby said braking arm may lift an appreciable distance above the top of the rails and thereby increase its braking effort without interfering with the car carried brake rigging.

8. In a car retarder of the track brake type, for use with a track rail and the car wheels of a passing car, an articulated braking arm supported adjacent the track rail in position to be engaged by the wheels of a passing car and be thereby moved upwardly to change the point of engagement on the wheel as the wheel passes, and stop means preventing the brake arm from moving so' far upwardly as to pass outside of proper clearance limits.

OSCAR A. ROSS. 

